


Blizzard

by Amaya_Ithilwen



Category: Red vs. Blue
Genre: First Meeting, Grifs bathroom window is broken, M/M, Star Trek - Freeform, blizzard
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-04
Updated: 2015-10-04
Packaged: 2018-04-24 19:27:17
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,493
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4932388
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Amaya_Ithilwen/pseuds/Amaya_Ithilwen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Simmons meets his neighbor, Grif, when he comes over to ask for a blanket because he's cold.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Blizzard

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Yin](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yin/gifts).



> A little thank you for Yin for doing all the Beta for my work. I hope you like the work! =)

When the Blizzard got announced, Simmons packed up his stuff and left his work to get home before the storm would break loose.

 

He had to trek through New York to get home. From his work, he was working for an IT-company in Hamilton Heights, to his home in Hell’s Kitchen.

What a fitting name considering the fact that the electricity would fail more than not during such a storm.

 

Trudging through the mass of people waiting for the metro to come. He sighed. Obviously everyone had the same idea as him, trying to get home as fast as possible to prepare everything for the upcoming storm.

 

Before he had taken the stairs down to the platform where he could mount the metro, he had seen the dark clouds, hanging low and threatening over the city.

The metro was packed up to the rim with people, it was surprising that the personnel of the metro didn’t need to push the people inside in order for the doors to close.

 

Escaping the metro in the last second, as he had to push through all the people, he climbed the stairs upwards.

Arriving at the top of the stairs, he could see snowflakes falling down, the wind starting to pick up.

 

Simmons turned up the collar of his mantle, burying his face in the scarf he was wearing. Looking up in the sky, the redhead hoped the blizzard wouldn’t become a black blizzard. Simmons shuddered, feeling his leg starting to hurt. The pressure of the air started to change, causing the stump of his left leg to hurt.

 

He had lost his leg due to an infection with _Fasciitis necroticans_ , an infection with flesh devouring bacteria. The infection had been so severe, that the medics had to amputate his leg in order to prevent the bacteria to spread and devastate other body parts.

 

After taking off the leg, it was easy to get rid of the infection with antibiotic medication. However his leg couldn’t be recovered, meaning he got a prosthetic leg afterwards to walk normally.

 

This leg was hurting now because of the shift of the air.

Ignoring the pain, Simmons sped up his steps, hurrying up to get home as soon as possible.

 

He just entered his apartment, when he heard a strong gush of wind howling around the corners of the apartment complex he was living in.

 

Stuffing away his shoes and jacket, he went to check if the windows in his room were all closed, picking up his blanket, pillow and a quilt from his bed to move it to the living room.

During the storm, Simmons would live in the open living room and kitchen space, so he wouldn’t have to move around too much.

 

The kitchen island behind his couch was still neatly cleaned, but would soon be littered with candles. Also the coffee table would be littered with them. Simmons knew how to prepare for a blizzard or a hurricane.

 

Opening one of the closets in his apartment, he took out a paper bag full with candles, putting it down beside the couch and starting to put candles on the kitchen island, the coffee table and some other places.

 

There was also a lantern in the paper bag, making it possible to walk around with the lantern and having some light. He had tried it before without light, walking into one of the chairs, standing on the opposite side of the stove at the island. It had hurt like a bitch and left a mark for several days.

 

Simmons expected the power to fail. It was normal that it would fail in this area of the city regularly during a storm.

 

Indeed, it didn’t take long for the power to fail. The storm just had begun, already making the local transformer failing due to the ice and clod temperature and wind.

 

Sighing, Simmons took the lantern where he already had lit up the candle in case he needed light. He also had a pocket lamp, but he preferred having a candle. The candle wasn’t as bright as the lamp but more reliable. The batteries could fail during the night, which meant that you won’t be able to replace them when not having replacement batteries. Going out in this weather was a suicide mission.

 

Lighting up the last candle and walking back to the couch, Simmons took one of the books he had taken out from the shelf close by, starting to read in the dim light of the candles.

 

It was some hours into the night, the storm still raging outside for more than three hours. Simmons now had finished one of the books he had been reading, the power still not coming back online as nobody would go out to check on a transformer in this storm. Everyone would wait until the blizzard would subdue a bit, allowing to walk outside without freezing to death.

 

A knocking at his door made the redhead startle. Huh? Who would be knocking at his door during this storm?

 

Getting up from the couch, he walked to the door, hearing another knock.

 

Opening, he saw a man around his age standing there, black hair and scruff around his chin, tubby frame. He looked slightly chilly.

“Hey, sorry to disturb you,” started the young man, shuddering a bit, “But would you mind if I could have a blanket?”

 

Simmons blinked. “Why do you need a blanket?”

“The Blizzard,” muttered the guy, Simmons suspected him to be of Hawaii, considering his tan and the color of his hair, “My neighbor was so smart to leave a little pot plant outside, the wind blowing it over and crashing the window of my bathroom.” Explained the guy.

 

“I managed to seal the window halfway and bring everything to security which shouldn’t necessarily be frozen, but it’s getting pretty cold,” Explained the man, Simmons recognizing him as his neighbor living on the opposite side of the hallway, “So I thought I gunna ask someone for a spare blanket.” He shrugged, observing the redhead attentively.

 

“And you seriously want to go back to this refrigerator of apartment you’re living in?” asked the redhead incredulously.

“Uh, yeah. Where else should I stay then?” Simmons neighbor blinked taken aback.

“How about staying here? My apartment is heated. You won’t freeze to death like that.”

 

There was a long silence, both blinking at each other, trying to process what just was said. In Simmons case, he tried to find out why the fuck he offered a foreign person to stay with him.

 

The guy nodded before Simmons was able to fully process what he just had offered.

 

“What’s your name, by the way?” asked the pal, still not moving from the doorstep. “Richard Simmons. But I prefer going by Simmons. Yours?”

“Dexter Grif. But I only go by Grif. Never call me by my first name.”

“Okay, if you only call me by my last name too.”

“Agreed.” Answered Grif with a grin, Simmons letting the guy in with a smile in reply.

 

“Before you get too comfortable, how about we go and get the mattress from my bedroom and you your blanket and pillow from your apartment so you can stay here until tomorrow?

“You wanna get me to move in here?”

“No!” spluttered Simmons, “I just offer for you to stay here for this night so you can organize the replacement of the window tomorrow without freezing to death!” Simmons face was beet red.

 

Walking to his bedroom while Grif got his stuff from his room, he asked himself why he was being so nice to his neighbor. He actually was way nicer to him than usually. Normally he wouldn’t let an unknown person in his apartment so easily like this time.

 

Simmons put it aside, putting down the mattress after pushing away the coffee table, carefully trying not to make the candles fall down.

 

When Grif returned, he let Grif decide where he should sleep. He decided to crash on the mattress, as it was way comfier than sleeping on the couch. Simmons sat down on the couch again.

 

Hours later, he was sitting on the mattress, leaning against the couch, talking with the Hawaiian, he indeed was from Hawaii, living here for work as Simmons did.

They were arguing about Star Trek. Simmons couldn’t believe that Grif preferred Next Generation better than the original series, which Simmons did.

 

They were arguing for minutes now, both grinning like idiots.

“You’re such a nerd. No normal human being would like the original series.”

“I know a lot of people liking the original series!” exclaimed the redhead.

Grif snorted. “As I said, nerd.”

 

“How were you able to live without watching Next Generation!?” asked Grif, opening another bottle of beer he had gotten from his apartment, arguing that he couldn’t let the beer freeze over there.

“Pretty good actually.” Replied Simmons dryly, taking a gulp of his coke. He wasn’t drinking.

“It’s the same when you don’t drink. Don’t get me wrong, it leaves more for me, but you’re missing something man.” Explained Grif sincerely.

“I don’t miss it,” replied Simmons with a shrug, “Maybe because I never tried it out actually.”

“You seriously should. You don’t know what you miss.”

 

“Which is exactly why you should try it. Drinking, napping and eating is great.”

Simmons rolled his eyes with a laugh. “You’re such a lazy slob.”

“I am highly capable of enjoying my life and not lazy.” Retorted Grif, emptying his beer and taking another one.

 

Simmons grinned. “As I said. A slob and lazy as fuck”

 

Grif grinned, looking back to the window when an especially strong gust of wind blew around the corner of the house. “I wonder when this fucker is going to subdue.” Muttered the Hawaiian, looking strangely thoughtful.

“It can take some hours more until he’s really going to lose it’s force.” Replied Simmons, his nerdy demeanor shining through. He noticed how Grifs face fell, immediately feeling bad for the comment he had made, hastily adding: “It doesn’t mean it couldn’t stop soon, which I hope actually. I don’t like blizzards.”

 

Grif looked at him from the corner of his eyes, Simmons having the intention as if a thankful glint had appeared in the Hawaiians eyes.

 

“So… What are you working anyway?” Grif now as also drinking coke as he had run out of beer some time ago. Simmons was glad that he didn’t need to work tomorrow as it was weekend.

“I’m a specialist for a production program the company sells. It’s their headquarters here and they wanted me to work here, so I moved over.” Explained Simmons, getting each of them a new can of coke.

 

Grif took it with a thankful nod.

“What are you doing here?” asked Simmons, when Grif wasn’t telling it on his accord.

Grif waited some more moments, obviously contemplating the question before answering. “About the same reason as you. The publisher of my graphic novel lives here and as I had not really some other place, I came over here. Dunno, sounds stupid but well…” he shrugged, taking another swig of the can, showing clearly that he wasn’t going to explain the subject further.

 

Simmons let the information sink in trying to say something encouraging. “It isn’t stupid. You just did what you thought it being best.”

Grif shrugged, not saying another word.

 

Simmons tried something else. “You miss your home?”

Grif nodded. “Like everyone else would do I guess. I actually want to go back when I can live from the earnings of my book. I always said I want to go back.”

The readhead nodded. “So like every normal person you want to go back. Understandable.”

 

“You want to go back?” Simmons felt Grif observing him attentively out of the corner of his eyes. He tried to play the nonchalant, lazy fucker, but he actually cared a lot. He just didn’t want to show it.

Simmons shook his head. “Not really. I don’t have a home I could miss,” Grif didn’t press it and Simmons was thankful for it, “So when the company offered me to work in New York for their headquarters I decided to move here and try to make a new home here. Or wherever my live is going to bring me.”

 

“You ever been to Hawaii?” asked Grif suddenly after lapsing into an amicable silence for some minutes. Neither of them had said something after Simmons explanation.

“No, I haven’t travelled much. I didn’t really know where to go. Besides, travelling alone isn’t really something I anticipate.” Elaborated the redhead.

Grif nodded understanding, but not commenting on the answer of the redhead.

 

Hours later, the storm had subdued, both of them were tired and going to sleep.

 

The next day, Grif managed to organize a glazier who changed the broken window at the same time. Simmons helped the Hawaiian cleaning up the mess in his bathroom and let Grif stay until the evening, when the temperature in his apartment was on an agreeable level.

 

After moving his stuff back to his room, Grif came back, giving him one of the book he had written earlier. It had been known, but not a bestseller. Grif hoped that the next one would be one. Simmons had offered to read the manuscript or talk with him over the story to give him new inputs and ideas on how to write the story.

 

However, Grif giving him the book, Simmons thanked him and took it with a pink tinge dusting his cheeks.

As soon as Grif was gone, Simmons slumped back down on the couch, not bothering to clean up the mess of mattress, pillow and blanket he had in the living room. He immediately started to read.

 

The story was so thrilling that he couldn’t stop reading until he reached the end of the book. Due to the snowstorm, his office had called him that he shouldn’t have to come to work until Wednesday, as the building and the infrastructure had taken some pretty bad damage. Which meant that Simmons would have to make some overtime afterwards, setting up everything after the repair. Great.

 

However, right now, he was happy that he didn’t had to go to work. He had read the book within 24 hours, not able to put it aside except of going to toilet.

He had noticed the personal dedication with Grifs signature on the first, usually blank, page.

 

What he didn’t expect was a slip of paper falling into his lap when he had reached the last page.

 

_Yo Nerd_

 

_Finding this slip mostly means that you trudged through the book – Congratulations._

_However, if you ever want to watch Next Gen or the Original series with me come knocking or call me._

 

Underneath, Simmons could see a mobile number scrawled across the paper.

 

Well, Simmons though with a smile, he probably would take Grif up to that offer.


End file.
